1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorbent article with a plurality of gathers on an inner surface facing the wearer's body when wearing and a composite sheet with a plurality of gathers.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, absorbent articles including, for example, disposable diapers, have been proposed. Disposable diapers are widely used for infants, children, elderly persons and physically handicapped persons, and have replaced reusable cloth absorbent article. Typical disposable diapers are generally composed of a composite structure including a top sheet, a back sheet and an absorbent body between the top and back sheets. The disposable diapers also include a stretchable composite sheet which gives stretchability to a non-stretchable sheet member for improved adhesion to a wearer's body and cushioning property. Such a stretchable composite sheet is realized, for example, by affixing two kinds of non-stretchable sheet members with an expanded stretchable member therebetween, which can be filiform, plexiform, strip-shaped, sheet-shaped and the like.
When the stretchable member of the stretchable composite sheet contracts, sheet members form large folds and can impart cushioning properties therefrom. However, when a wearer moves with a disposable diaper on, adhesion to a wearer's skin worsens and flexibility and texture deteriorates.
For the reasons stated above, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. H05-228177 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) provides a shorts-type sanitary product using an elastic composite, obtained by attaching a non-woven base fabric to one or both sides of a contracted sheet-shaped elastic body to form gathers in a non-binding site between binding sites, which is joined to a non-woven base fabric side of a portion of the shorts to be stretchable.
The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a structure referred to as floating gathers, which is realized by joining an elastic composite, obtained by binding an elastic body with a non-woven base fabric, to a portion to be stretchable of a shorts-type sanitary product. In the case of the shorts-type sanitary product disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the height of gathers is raised for improved elastic properties, the gathers are flattened and neighboring gathers overlap each other during wearing. This can deteriorate touch and comfort, and obstruct the expansion and contraction. Moreover, this can deteriorate adhesion to a wearer's body and result in a worsened ability to follow to a wearer's body while wearing.